#48 – Why Are People Into BDSM?

Some people are into sexually aggressive and humiliating acts, from biting & spanking, to spitting and verbal humiliation. This is usually referred to as paraphilias, or uncommon sexual desires, but how uncommon are these sexual desires, actually? And, perhaps more controversially, could there be some evolutionary bases for some of our BDSM desires?

In Episode 48, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Menelaos Apostolou from the University of Nicosia in Cyprus about his evolutionary theories on why people are into BDSM and the research he’s conducted trying to test them. In a large (though non-representative) sample of Greek Cypriots, he found that over 70% of people reported interest in at least one (and ~50% in at least three) different sexually aggressive and humiliating acts, both on the giving and the receiving end. Not so uncommon after all! Could people’s interest in these acts come from humanity’s long history of sexual violence and aggression, from war conquest to forced marriages? Listen to find out more about these fascinating, controversial evolutionary theories.

This week, we decided to skip the Foreplay and answer one of your questions instead! Dr. Zhana and Joe answer a listener question about our The Truth About Female Infidelity episode.

About our Guest

Dr. Menelaos Apostolou is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Nicosia, Cyprus. He was born in Athens, Greece and he completed his post-graduate and graduate studies in the United Kingdom. He has published several peer-reviewed papers, books, and chapters in books in the area of evolutionary psychology. His research focus is human mating behavior.

Before Next Time…

Check out Dr. Zhana on November 20th at her Think & Drink NYC series event at the bar Subject where she will be debunking some common myths about the female orgasm, learn while enjoying a drink! Buy tickets here.

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